The mystery of night: An HP Lovecraft Mystery
by Sean P. Harper
Summary: This is a world based off of H.P. Lovecraft's creation, with a hint of phillip Marlowe in it. Detective Lovecraft is trying to save himself, his girl, and his best friend, from that most dangerous of all villans, His own best friend.
1. Chapter 1

**I**

The winds in the Hollywood hills tasted foul, like a corpse laid to rest in the LA River, and then dried in the sun, voodoo style. The majicks used here were terrible, and usually, the LAPD would be handling this, but I'm a professional when it comes to the horrors of the necronomicon. My name is Howard, Howard Lovecraft, and I'm a detective.

I felt the tremors in the underworld for weeks, but thought nothing of it, who acknowledges the incoming end of the world. I was at the R'leh Bar when the first of the Innsmouth kind came in, looking for trouble. Bob was a good guy, he had owned the R'leh since anyone could remember, at least since they had passed the Majick laws back in the 1940's. Some said he was even older, a descendant of John Dee himself, it was rumored he knew every form of black majicks possible; you didn't want to piss him off.

So Bob was conferring with me, when the Marsh boys did their frogs in tiaras bit, trying to scare someone, probably me, they hadn't liked me since I had Obed Marsh brought up in international charges of chthonic thievery. Micah Marsh was just like his father, flat faced, bulgy eyes, and a penchant for smelling like three day old sushi. He was just as stupid as he looked too. Bob pointed to his sign of 'No Majicks in the Building', but Micah began his spell anyways, from the little I was able to catch before he was bound, and trapped in a crystal, it was a flood in the lungs spell, a nasty bit of work.

"You must be working something big!" said Bob. "Yeah, somebody's trying to put up the big boy toys tonight" I said bemused, picking up what was left of my, now very watery coffee.

I decided to go home, and hit the books, if it was going to be my night for the party, I wanted to be prepared. Anastasia Ramirez was waiting at my apartment, gods' love'em dames; they always know when they aren't wanted around. She let herself in, and was even drinking from the whiskey I kept hidden in the tank of the toilet; I knew I could kiss the study session on what was coming good-bye.

"You haven't come to see me Lovecraft, you've forgotten me haven't you?" she asked with a look any man would know to pay attention to.

"I've been busy, working on-"

"Fuck you, and fuck your cases, you promised me you'd be back, I brought you into the tantric circle for that very purpose, so you would be mine!" She shouted, cutting me off. I realized that this was more volatile than I thought, 'great, the jilted lover and an attack from the innsmouth kind, could this night get any better' I thought as I felt the pull of tantric energies in my apartment, the second spell thrown at me in one night,' H.P. this is the quick route to death, think quickly!'

"Ordos Secretus De Amour!" I shouted at her, breaking her concentration just enough for me to grab her and give her a sharp crack across the jaw, knocking her out.

I bound her in rose vine ropes and set her on my couch, placing a silence hex on her for when she woke. I started looking for rituals involving Dagon, and the upcoming summer solstice, as well as anything dealing with the Innsmouth kind's rituals. I didn't find anything pertaining to the upcoming solstice, but I did find a strange legend.

'Across the stretches of space he will reach, twice too soon, and not again for millennia. Forever failing, attempting to usurp Cthulhu's reign. Yet man's hand shall falter, and with an act of friendship, shall doom the earth. Beware the creation of caring, for it is he who shall destroy the world.'

This was stranger than anything I had worked on before. I was going to have to call in a few favors. First I had to get to the bottom of why Anastasia attacked me.

"Wake up!" I said to her as I threw water in her face. I had been her lover once, and I had indulged her for her little ritual, but this was the final straw. Using majicks against me, I could use the laws and kill her, but that would solve nothing. I would have to wait and see where this took me.

"Why, Anastasia, why would you risk your life to attack me, here, in MY place of power?" I spoke, removing the silence hex

"Lovecraft, you toad, you don't deserve the power given to you, nor do you deserve it. I gave out of love, and you took it out of selfishness. I gave you my love, all I got was a note saying you'd be back. You never came back Howard, it was decided three months ago you were to be sacrificed to Marduk. I gave you those three, out of love for you." She struggled at the ropes. I had a feeling of regret towards her, but I couldn't let that get in my way.

"I've got a case to solve, then you can do what you want with me, I just hope it's enjoyable." I offered her.

"If you come back after this, I'll renounce the sacrifice, as well, you'll be made high priest. We need you, my love, and I need you too. Promise me three times, and I'll believe you." Was her counter offer

I promised, I'd have promised her the moon if it got her to shut up, and leave.


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

Bob was just opening the R'leh when I pulled up, his face showing the Marsh boys had returned later looking for me. I apologized with a bottle of fresh New Zealand Absinthe. The Pygmy Guinea company used to hire Bob as a taste tester. He had his gimmicks, I had mine, and I was feeling the itch to find out what was seizing in LA's underbelly.

Bob accepted my gift, with a grunt, and a 'You owe me' stare, I couldn't fault him, but I also didn't understand what was going on, and that was why I was here.

Bob drank his absinthe straight, not distilled with water, or even laudanum, He could handle the taste, and the lack of drugs made it easier to enter his mind, and find clues. I had a syringe full of cocaine, and a pull off of a mescaline pipe I kept stashed for quick and dirty times I needed to enter someone's mind faster than usual.

"This world is not your first" were the words he said the day we met, and I recalled them as I pulled myself into his mind. Bob was old, and I mean OLD. In here I could see secrets only he would trust me with, his family, and his lifetimes as a mage. And yet, I still was no closer now to where I needed to be, I had to break through the barriers, I had to get into the dark side of Bob.

I concentrated on the darkness we all have in ourselves. The places we dare not look, even if we need to. I was trapped in my best friends head, floating around like some flotsam. I had to get out of here, even if I lost bob as a friend, I couldn't let myself mind rape him. I grasped the mental tether to my body and pulled forcing me forward and breaking the touch of Bob's forehead. I jolted up with a start, Bob was looking at me with a startled look in his eyes and quietly said "Get. Out."

I knew it as then my troubles had started; Bob had never let me down before. So I drove to my downtown office on the corner of Westlake and Temple, thinking of the night I had before, and the day I was having. Hoping to get some rest, I slowly walked the three flights of stairs I noticed the last person I wanted to see alive, or dead, ever. "Hello Yog, or is it sothoth today? I never get that right." I said in a bemused sort of way, I loved watching these fish guys fry in the sun.

"Lovecraft, you sly dog, you never get to start a day without death sentences on your head do you? And it's Yog-Sothoth, by the way asshole." Said old Yoggie I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands, I pulled out my Lugar, aimed for his head and fired. I knew it wouldn't hurt him, but I just wanted to get the point across I'm having a bad day, and make it snappy.

"I'm tired, my girlfriend is apparently on some psychotic rag, and you come into my office just as my best friend just tells me where to stick it, who the hell do you think you are you small time scum peddler!" I roared at him, I knew I was going to regret it, but it felt good anyway.

I dumped his body about 17 blocks away and headed back to my house, hopefully Anastasia had finally gone home. I was going to need all the rest I could get.


End file.
